Honor or Mockery? Native American Mascots
Where does one draw the line between honoring a group of individuals and discriminating against them? It doesn't seem like it should be that hard, does it? Should be easy enough to tell if you are discriminating against someone or honoring them. Yet, something that would seem like an easy problem to solve has evolved into a heavily disputed argument. This controversy involves the representation of Native Americans on athletic fields as mascots. Many athletic teams and universities, such as the University of Illinois, have a Native American as a mascot. These teams feel the Native American is respected and is honored while Native Americans and other protestors think it is nothing short of racism. Basically what it comes down to is opinions; but everything is opinionated if you think about it. So is one side right and one side wrong? I don't think there is any way to find a perfect solution to this conflict, because it all depends on how you look at it. So the only thing to do is understand both sides of the controversy and then make an educated decision about what you believe in. The main point of debate is how and what the mascot is representing. Chief supporters at the University of Illinois believe that Chief Illin
Also, when asked whether the use of Native American team names and mascots contribute to discrimination against Indians, 75% of the total Indians surveyed said it does not contribute to discrimination. Many alumni have also threatened to stop donating money to the university if the Chief is retired. One of the advantages is the loyalty of the alumni, students, and fans. He goes on to challenge you to "substitute any ethnic name for Indians. Schools such as the University of Illinois believe they are an exception. Roger Plummer was commissioned by the University Board of Trustees to look into possible solutions. He concluded, "it is abundantly clear that there is no compromise available. it gives our people recognition" (Shapiro D1). She explains that when Chief Illiniwek was created in 1926 he was to represent "the complete human being- the strong, agile human body, the unfettered human intellect, the indomitable human spirit" (Garippo 7. retain or retire chief only options" (Hague A1). If symbols are not permitted to represent others than what will we have to remember past generations and groups? One other interesting point is the people who are protesting. In some cases, Native Americans have won the battle and forced schools to either change their mascot or retire it completely. On the other hand, how can the supporters feel they are honoring the Indians when the Indians simply don't think they are? It contradicts the whole point about how the supporters think they are representing the Indians.
Common topics in this essay:
Native American,
Chief Illiniwek,
University Illinois,
Native Americans,
Indian Country,
University Iowa,
Boilermakers Cowboys,
Baltimore Sun,
Sports Illustrated,
,
native american,
university illinois,
chief illiniwek,
native americans,
represent people,
racial discrimination,
garippo 71,
schools university,
sports illustrated,
spirit garippo 71,
school chief,
university illinois believe,
article sports illustrated,
schools university illinois,
|
Acceptance Essays
